The Enemy's heir

Chapter One The Girl Who Arrived With the Rain The nightmare always began the same way. A wolf howled. Not the proud, powerful howl of a creature calling to its pack, but the desperate cry of something dying. Then came the fire. Flames swallowed the trees one by one, turning the once-peaceful forest into an ocean of orange and black. Smoke filled the air, making it impossible to breathe. Shadows ran through the blaze, screaming names that vanished beneath the crackling roar of the fire. "Run!" A woman's voice echoed through the darkness. "Don't stop, Lyra!" A small hand reached for hers. Before Lyra could grab it... The hand disappeared into the flames. "No!" She lunged forward. A pair of glowing crimson eyes suddenly appeared through the smoke. They weren't human. They weren't animal. They simply watched her. Watching... Waiting... "You survived," a deep voice whispered. "But next time..." "...you won't." A sharp pain shot through her chest. Lyra gasped. Her eyes flew open. She sat upright on the bus, breathing heavily. Rain hammered against the windows. The passengers around her were asleep, unaware that the girl sitting in the last row had just escaped another nightmare. She pressed a trembling hand against her chest. Her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. "It was only a dream," she whispered. But deep inside... She knew it wasn't. The memories had become clearer with every passing year. She glanced out the rain-covered window. The bus climbed a winding mountain road surrounded by towering pine trees. Thick fog curled between the trunks, hiding whatever lay deeper within the forest. Something about the place felt... Wrong. The driver suddenly spoke through the speaker. "We'll be arriving at Blackwood Academy in five minutes." Excited chatter immediately filled the bus. "I can't believe we're finally here!" "My brother said the school is huge." "I heard only the richest families get accepted." "I hope the dorms aren't haunted." The students laughed. Lyra remained silent. She reached into the pocket of her coat and removed a small silver locket. It was old. The edges were scratched, and the chain had been repaired so many times that it barely resembled its original form. She stared at it for a long moment before closing her fingers around it again. "Almost," she murmured. The bus rounded one final corner. Everyone leaned toward the windows. There it was. Blackwood Academy. The enormous stone building stood on top of the mountain like an ancient castle forgotten by time. Its tall towers disappeared into the mist, while gargoyle statues watched from the rooftops as though guarding the school from invisible enemies. Lightning flashed. For the briefest second... Lyra could have sworn one of the statues moved. She blinked. It was still. Just her imagination. The bus came to a stop. One by one, the students stepped outside, greeted by cold wind and steady rain. Lyra was the last to leave. The moment her feet touched the ground, an icy breeze swept across the courtyard. She froze. The strange feeling returned. It was as if hundreds of unseen eyes had turned toward her at once. Watching. Judging. Waiting. She looked around. Students hurried toward the main building. Teachers welcomed newcomers with warm smiles. Parents hugged their children goodbye. Everything looked perfectly normal. Then why... ...did she feel like she had just walked into a trap? --- "Next!" A cheerful woman behind the registration desk smiled brightly. "Name?" "Lyra Ashwood." The woman searched through several files before pulling one free. "There you are! Dormitory Three, Room 214." She handed Lyra a student identification card. "Welcome to Blackwood Academy." "Thank you." Lyra accepted the card and turned to leave. "Excuse me." She looked back. The woman tilted her head slightly. "Have we met before?" Lyra's expression remained calm. "I don't think so." "Hmm..." The woman laughed softly. "You just seem... familiar." Lyra forced a polite smile before walking away. The moment she disappeared into the crowd, the woman's smile faded. "Strange..." she whispered. --- The academy was even larger on the inside. Long marble hallways stretched in every direction. Paintings of former headmasters covered the walls. Grand staircases twisted toward the upper floors. Students hurried from place to place while teachers directed newcomers toward their dormitories. Everything felt alive. Yet... Something seemed hidden beneath the surface. As Lyra climbed the main staircase, she noticed an enormous painting hanging above the entrance hall. It showed six men standing together beneath a silver moon. All wore black cloaks. Each carried a sword. At the bottom of the frame was a single sentence. "The Six Founders of Blackwood Academy." She studied their faces. Five looked ordinary. The sixth man stood slightly apart from the others. His expression was unreadable. His eyes... Cold. Before she could look closer— "Move!" Someone bumped into her shoulder. Books scattered across the polished floor. "Oh no!" A first-year student quickly knelt to pick them up. "I'm so sorry!" "It's alright." Lyra helped gather the books. The younger girl smiled gratefully. "You're new, right?" "Yes." "I'm Emma." "Lyra." Emma's eyes brightened. "I'll show you around after classes if you'd like." Lyra hesitated. She wasn't here to make friends. But refusing would only attract attention. "Thank you." Emma grinned. "See you later!" She hurried away. Lyra watched her disappear. "Friendly people..." she whispered. "I wasn't expecting that." --- At the opposite side of the academy... A sleek black car rolled through the iron gates. Students immediately turned to look. "He's here." "Adrian!" "The Student Council President." "I heard his family donated the new science building." The driver stepped out first before opening the rear door. A tall boy climbed out, adjusting the sleeves of his academy blazer. His dark hair was slightly messy from the wind. His gray eyes scanned the courtyard with quiet indifference. Adrian Knight. The name alone carried weight. To the teachers, he was the academy's brightest student. To the younger boys, he was someone to admire. To many girls, he was impossible not to notice. But Adrian ignored the whispers surrounding him. He simply picked up his bag and walked toward the entrance. "Morning." His best friend, Ethan Brooks, caught up beside him. "You know everyone's staring again." "They'll stop eventually." Ethan laughed. "You've been saying that for three years." Adrian smiled faintly. "Maybe this will be the year." As they entered the academy, Adrian paused. Something felt... Different. He looked over his shoulder toward the courtyard. Rain continued to fall. Students hurried past him. Nothing seemed unusual. Yet an uneasy feeling settled deep inside him. As if someone unfamiliar had just stepped into his world. He shook the feeling away. "Coming?" Ethan asked. "Yeah." Still... For reasons he couldn't explain... Adrian glanced back one last time. --- Meanwhile... High above the academy... A hooded figure stood inside the old bell tower. Hidden by shadows, the stranger watched every student entering the school below. When Lyra crossed the courtyard, the figure slowly smiled. "So..." A raspy voice echoed through the empty tower. "She finally came." The figure reached into a pocket and unfolded an ancient photograph. The image had faded with age, but one face remained clear. A little girl... Standing beneath a silver moon. The same girl who had just walked through Blackwood Academy's gates. The hooded figure carefully folded the photograph. "The game begins today." A raven landed on the edge of the tower window. It let out a harsh cry before taking flight into the storm. Far below... Neither Lyra nor Adrian noticed the pair of crimson eyes watching them from the highest point of the academy. But someone knew exactly who they were. And someone had been waiting for this day... for a very long time.